THE SEVEN MINISTRIES OF THE HOLY SPIRIT God’s Spirit Working for the Salvation of Mankind I. Introduction This HFC Bible Institute course, “The Seven Ministries of the Holy Spirit” has been a refreshing and reaffirming spiritual and learning experience for me. The first five of the seven ministries of the Holy Spirit are Regeneration (Being born again by the Spirit. ); Indwelling (Living with the Spirit and our hearts. ); Baptism (Purified and placed in Christ through the Spirit.
The ceremony of Baptism usually consists of being sprinkled with Holy Water on your forehead or in other circumstances your body can be fully immerged in the water and the priest will dunk you head in and out of the water. This sacrament can be seen as a cleansing of sins and as a beginning of purification and consecration. It is a turning from sins and selfishness to serve the Lord. The second sacrament is that of receiving the holy Eucharist. Eucharist is also known as the “body” of Christ.
An outward (visible) sign of an invisible grace is an "efficacious" symbol that brings about the spiritual reality to which it points. This term applies to Jesus Christ, the great sign of God's love for us; to the Church, his continuing presence in our world; and to the Seven Sacraments.Grace is a participation in the life and love of the Trinity that comes to us through the sacraments. Each sacrament brings us a different dimension of God's life and love. Sacraments are celebrated in anticipation of divine life and insures us graces necessary to enter eternal life. The church affects the inner union of people with God.
Pouring of the spirit iv. Peters address of the crowd v. Unity and devotion j. Acts 4:31 vi. The significance of being able to speak the word of God boldly k. Acts 8:14-17 vii. The baptism and why there was a need to baptize in the spirit viii.
A. What is meant by “the call of God”? How can you know if you have received the call of God? The call of God is the term used to describe our response to the prompting of God to go into ministry with Him. Each one of us is called by God and the basis of that calling is set out in Matthew 28:19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” We can see clearly from Matthew 28:19 that each of us who have been born again, water baptised and filled with the Holy Spirit have a direct and unmistakable calling from God to serve Him in ministry.
St. Thomas Aquinas defined sacraments to be signs of a sacred reality. Again, this also coincides with the squirrel’s idea of what could be considered sacramental. The same would go for the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The Catechism of the Catholic Church defined sacraments to be efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us. The squirrel finds God given life in what it came back holding.
The Bible is the basis for many major Christian beliefs; it is used in the liturgy of Christianity; it is the basis for prayer and it provides the guidelines for the behaviour of Christians. It is particularly in the context of sacramental liturgy or worship that the Bible is viewed as as important and sacred, for it is here where Christians celebrate the Eucharist, Mass and Lordʼs Supper. The Bible teaches them about the nature of God and the ministry and teachings of Jesus. Through the Bible, the basis of Christian Belief is interpreted and accepted by the adherents. The Bible teaches and illustrates Christian key beliefs and ideas.
Today the definition of a sacrament is much broader and more inclusive. It incorporates those things which bring us closer to God, the church and Jesus. Richard McBrien (1996) tells us that “a sacrament not only signifies, it also causes what it signifies” (p5). As De Gidio (1994) suggests sacraments are now considered opportunities for those already in God’s grace to celebrate the presence of Jesus in all things. Barnes in Cooke, Barnes & Roberts (2003) writes that “sacraments take us out of ordinary or profane life to discover the drama or beauty of the divine” (p77) and thus experience Jesus.
Why do we exist? The purpose of mankind according to Christianity, is to know God. Deuteronomy 11:13 states that Man is to serve and to love God with all your heart and all your soul. Christianity is a relationship with God, not just following the tenants of a religion. Religion is seen as mans attempt to reach God.
To celebrate the Reconciliation we have to spend some time thinking about what sin you have done and need to be forgiven by God. Preparation is essential in all of our lives without it we would all be all over the place. Reconciliation is a reminder to all of us that love God and he will never stop loving us no matter what. The Sacrament is also called forgiveness and penace. In the eighth chapter of Johns Gospel we read how Jesus forgave the women caught in adultery.